#DropThePlus - Fashion should not be measured in size

There was never a
time in my life when my mother ever told me that I should be skinny to look
beautiful in the clothes I wear. Oh
no. My mother taught me to always be
clean and to wear clothing that is timeless and that you can wear more than
once without people noticing it too much.
So it is without a doubt that my mommy has the largest influence on the style I have today.

It is so sad that the
time we live in, girls are being bombarded with images of fashion models, most
likely 1.75 meters and taller, in a size 2 or 0.
People often want to know what the real size of beauty is and what is considered
to be “fat” and “skinny”.

In some countries a
woman will be considered plus size when she is size 10, 12 and bigger. In that case I will also be considered plus
size. The word itself might be embarrassing
to other women but who cares? Of course there was a time in my life when I considered
myself healthier looking than I am now, but why let other people influence the
image you have of yourself?

Elle recently posted
an article online of models that want to change the perception there is about
the term “plus sized”. There are Australian models who would like to change the stigma
that is associated with “plus size” for the sake of women everywhere. Another Australian model, Laura Wells was
recently part of the launch of the popular active wear label, The Upside. The initiative of the Be You campaign
launched by The Upside encourages women to “be at home in their own skin” and
give them more confidence. Laura is
proud to be part of this advertisement and had the following to say:

“I find it interesting that The Upside has previously
used Candice Swanepoel, a Victoria’s Secret model [in their ads], and now
they’re using a ‘plus size’ model.”

“It’s fantastic for them to show that yes, our clothes
look great on a Victoria’s Secret model. But look how great they also look on
people of all sizes.”

“It’s very daring, but at the same time, it’s something
that should be seen as normal. The fact that we have to celebrate is a bit
sad.”

“My body is relatable and aspirational to a lot of people. There are a
lot of models that we see every day in magazines and high fashion and it’s not
always achievable for a lot of people to look like that. They say, ‘Oh I can’t
look like that.”

“My body is relatable and aspirational to a lot of people. There are a
lot of models that we see every day in magazines and high fashion and it’s not
always achievable for a lot of people to look like that. They say, ‘Oh I can’t
look like that.”

From the media, to
friends and family - women are so easily being told that they do not fit in
with the picture of society, but that is so
not true. I would love it when women
felt more comfortable in their skin and if they could walk down the sidewalk
each and every day with confidence knowing that how they look and feel is
entirely up to them.

Isaac Mizrahi: "I don't like segregation, I like
incorporation."

During
an interview with HuffPost Live, Mizrahi expressed his disinterest in what he
called the "segregation" that plus-size shoppers and models
experience. "I don't want to speak to a plus-sized woman differently than
I speak to a woman," he said, adding, "I don't like segregation, I
like incorporation, I like integration. If you're going to do clothes, you need
to do them in a whole size range."

Tanesha Awasthi of Girl With Curves: Bloggers should be labelled
as bloggers.

In
an interview with Who What Wear, Awasthi spoke about the future of plus-size.
As a blogger, she mentioned her "frustration" with being labelled as
a "plus-size blogger." She said, "One day I hope the blogging
community at large will recognize fashion bloggers as bloggers and not lump us
into size categories."

IMG
made news when they added models like Ashley Graham and Julie Henderson to its
roster. Though these women were traditionally pegged as "plus-size,"
IMG made the revolutionary choice to keep the models in line with other
talents, such as Gisele Bundchen. Bart told Cosmopolitan, "We want to be
an ageless, race-less, weightless agency," and added, "We just want
to represent the best people in the industry."

So ladies forget what
the media says about your size, #DropThePlus and look and feel good in the
clothing you wear – no matter the size!